Plug and plugboard



May 9, 1950 L. RosEN PLUG'AND PLUGBOARD 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 12, 1945 38 60/? RUBBER we; 4A

FIG. 4

R v, N F. .0 m/ MA w May 9, 1950 ROSEN PLUG AND PLUGBOARD 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 12, 1945 JOF7' RUBBER LEO IFOJEN Patented May 9, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as

amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the government for governmental purposes, Without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention is in electrical apparatus and particularly is a novel means for establishing and breaking certain types of electrical connections.

In certain electrical fields, as in communications, it is desirable to establish temporarily a large number of circuits and to provide means for interchanging and breaking such circuits quickly. A common means of accomplishing this is through the use of plugs and plugboards. A plugboard normally comprises a number of electrically wired sockets, and circuits are made therethrough with plugged jumper cords. Obviously, the contact members of a board may be plugs instead of sockets, and the jumper cord terminals will then be in the nature of sockets adapted to fit over the plugs.

One object of the invention is to provide a device for use with a plugboard for holding plug members in cooperating relation with the sockets of a plugboard or socket members in proper relation to plugs.

Another object is to provide means for releasably retaining a group of plugs or sockets in predetermined relation with the sockets or plugs of a plugboard.

Another object is to provide a socketor plugholding board and a contact member adapted for limited movement therein.

Other objects will be apparent from a reading of'the following specifications and claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the elements of my invention, a portion of the structure being broken away;

Figure 2 is a view of a different form of contact member which may be used;

Figure 3 is a view of a further modified contact member;

Figure 4 is a plan view of a different form of holding board.

Figure 4=a is a section through the board of Figure 4 on the line Ma;

Figure 5 is another form of holding device;

Figure 5a is a plan of the reverse side of the device of Figure 5;

Figure 6 illustrates a further modification of contact member and holder therefor;

Figure 6a shows an edge view of the structure of Figure '6; and

Figure 7 a view of a multiple contact member adapted for use as a part of the invention.

Referring to the drawings and particularly to Figures 1, It is a plugboard. The board is formed of relatively hard stilt insulating material and has secured therein at regular intervals electrical contacts in the nature of plugs, as H and 12. These contacts may be of any desired form and are here shown merely as pins. They extend through boards l6 and are adapted to have wires soldered or otherwise secured thereto on the other side of the board.

At the four corners of plugboard ID are arranged spacing members, as 15 and i6, bolts I9, 20, 2|, and 22 being run through board In and each through one of the spacing members.

A holding board, 25, similar in size to the plugboard and adapted to fit over the corner bolts, I9, 20, 21, and 22, and upon the spacers is provided. Holding board 25, also preferably formed of insulating material, has openings therein equal in number and arrangement to the plugs in plugboard l0. These openings, in other words, line up exactly with the plugs of plugboard l0.

Contact members,' as 30, used with holding board 25 are of insulating material, cylindrical in form and are provided with collars of such size as to fit snugly in the openings in the board. The result is that while a contact member can be pushed through the board, it will not readily fall out of the same because removal requires accurate alignment with the opening.

Within each member 3|] is an electrical contact comprising an expansible metal sleeve adapted to slide over and make a good electrical connection with a plugboard Ill, and at one end of each member 30 is a conductor, 3|, which may be soldered to said expansible sleeve;

The manner in which members 30 are arranged in board 25 W11 depend upon the use to which the device is to be put, but, according to the drawings, they are arranged in connected pairs.

In operation, one or more of the boards, 25, are set up in advance, the contact members, 30, bein inserted in the proper openings. The board is then put in place upon the bolts, 19, 20, 2|, and 22, and the nuts, [9, 20', '21, .and 22', put in place, the result being that the contact members, 30, are held adjacent and aligned with the plugs of plugboard H8. The contact members are then manually engaged with the plugs of plugboard Ill. The contact members are normally manually disengaged individually from their cooperating plugs and may be allowed to remain in the holding .board 25, spacing members 1| 5, [-6, .etc., being of such length as to provide clearance between the contact pins of board In and the open ends of contacts 30 when the latter contacts are in their retracted positions.

The socket member of Figure 2 comprises a body portion, 35, with a collar, 36, at one end thereof larger than theopening to be provided in the holding device, not shown. Body member 35, on the other hand, is of such diameter as to slide smoothly through an opening in a holding board such as 25 of Figure 1. At the end of the socket member opposite collar 36 is formed an annular groove, 31, and in this groove is seated a split wire ring, 38, which nor-- mally protrudes beyond the periphery of member 35 but which may be compressed somewhat, there being a little clearance provided by the ends of wire rin 38. The device of this figure is used just as the device of Figure 1, the wire ring, of course, being compressedand passed through an opening in board 25 and then expanding to hold the contact member within the holding board. Obviously, a second wire ring can be used with this contact member in place of the collar, 36.

The contact member of Figure 3 is essentially like that of Figure 2, the only difierence being that the wire ring, 38 (Figure 2), is replaced by a compressible collar, 39, of soft rubber.

According to Figures 4 and 4a, the holding board may consist of a body member 48, of stifi insulating material with openings 4! therein large enough to permit easy insertion and removal of the collared contact members, 30 (Figure 1). To one face (or both'if desired) is attached by cementing or otherwise a rubber sheet, 42. Orifices 43, approximately the size of the shanks of contact members 30, are formed in the sheet, their pattern being such as to align them with openings M in body member 40; The contact members are pushed through the holding board, and there retained against accidental displacement byabutment of their collars against rubber sheet 42.

The holding device shown in Figures'5 and 5- -11 is formed .of a soft rubber member, 44, supported at its margins and throughout its surface by framework 45. Openings are provided in the framework at the corners of the device for cooperation with bolts, such as I9, 20, 2|, and 22 of Fi ure 1, and other openings 46 are formed at regular intervals through the rubber body member, M, of the device. These openings are of such size that the collar of a contact member such as is shown in Figure 1 may be readily forced therethrough but cannot be easily displaced therefrom."

In Figures 6 and 6-a, the modified holding device comprises a body member, 50, of insulating Jmaterial, with o enings 5| therein large enou h to take the collar of the contact member of Figure 1. Secured to one face of member so is a second body member. 52, mounted by means i of slots 53 and 54, bolts 53' and 54, and cooperating -yvingnuts for limited sliding movement with respect to'member 51!. Keyhole-shaped openings, as 55, are provided in member 52. In

operation, member 52 is slid uponfmember 5!! until the circular portions of openings register with openings 5| in member 50, collared contact members 30 are inserted, member 52 then slid upon bolts 53' and 54' so that slot-like portions 55 of openings 55 register with openings 5|, and the wingnuts tightened, whereupon the contact members cannot be withdrawn.

The contact member of Figure '7 may be used for special purposes as where electrical connec- 'tions are always to be made in groups of three. In substance, the contact member is like that of Figure 1. Obviously, with the contact member of this nature, an opening in a holding board (such as 25, Figure 1) will not be circular but instead will be inthe nature of a slot with round ends.

.The wiring shown in Figure 1 and indicated elsewhere in the drawings connects the several pairs of contact members at their outer ends, the ends, in other words, that are normally grasped by an operator in making and breaking circuits through plugboard ID. This is the customary arrangement, but for some purposes it may be desirable to wire the movable members at their inner ends. Under such conditions, it is possible to make and break circuits as before but not to remove the contact members from the holding board While the latter is in place.

The foregoing description is in specific terms and many modifications will suggest themselves. For the true scope of the invention, therefore, reference should be had to the appended claims.

I claim: r

1. The combination of a plugboard or the like having an electrical contact thereon, an electrical conductor having a terminal contact member adapted to cooperate with the contact of said plugboard, a holding board adapted to support said terminal contact member and to permit limited movement relative thereto but to cooperate with said terminal contact member to permit removal therefrom only when the parts are in one predetermined positional re1ation, and means for so supporting said holding board adjacent said plugboard that said limited movement of the terminal contact member will movement of the shank portions of said terminal contact members but to engage snugly the col lar portions thereof to inhibit removal of said contact members but still to permit removal when the parts are properly juxtaposed, and

means for so supporting said holding board adjacent said plugboard that movement of a terminal contact member with respect to said holding device within the limits of its shank portion will permit contact between the same and one of the said electrical contacts.

3. The combination of a board having a plu-' rality of contacts on one side thereof, a holding board mounted in spaced relation to said first-mentioned board and substantially parallel thereto adjacent the contact side thereof, said holding board having openings therein substantially registering with said contacts on said board, and a plurality of second contacts for 00- operating with said first-mentioned contacts to complete portions of electric circuits said second contacts each comprising an elongated body member substantially smaller than said openings and a collar at each end thereof but slightly smaller than said openings the elongated body member permitting a second contact to be moved into and out of cooperating relation with the first-mentioned contact while being held by said board, and the collar serving to prevent acci- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

I UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 473,717 Varley Apr. 26, 1892 56 ,420 Minnis June 2, 1896 Number 10 Number Name Date Diamond Dec. 26, 1933 Holliday Oct. 12, 1937 Joseph Feb. 11, 1941 Matthews et a1. Feb. 11, 1941 Drury Apr. 18,1944 Martin Dec. 18, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Denmark 1928 Germany Sept. 20, 1930 France Oct. 11, 1928 

